Knappa claimed their fourth league win last night against Neah-Kah-Nie to take over first place in the Northwest League from Faith Bible and Mannahouse Christian who were tied at the top with a league record of 4-1. Neah-Kah-Nie was looking to bounce back from a loss at Faith Bible last week - although the Pirates were still missing several key players due to COVID protocol. There were no visiting fans allowed at Neah-Kah-Nie, who's basketball program is still recovering from a bout with COVID.
The first quarter was a wild affair filled with turnovers, missed shots, and energetic play by both teams. Knappa's press allowed for loads of layups, but Neah-Kah-Nie did a good job to force Knappa to convert contested shots and layups. By the end of the first quarter, Knappa led 24-9 despite having difficulties scoring in their set offense. Neah-Kah-Nie showed their determination to play hard in the second quarter. Rather than folding to the pressure, the Pirates dug their heels in and took advantage of the press to score layups of their own as well as taking better care of the ball. However, with both of their posts still out of action, Neah-Kah-Nie struggled to haul in defensive rebounds allowing Knappa to get 2nd and 3rd opportunities on offense. Despite a determined effort, the 5'10" Neah-Kah-Nie freshman Ethan Hanson simply could not outrebound the towering 6'9" Logan Morrill from Knappa. Although Neah-Kah-Nie play was commendable in the second quarter, the Loggers still led 33-15.
Knappa came out of the break ready to cause havoc. Their press continued to give troubles to Neah-Kah-Nie. Even when the press did not create turnovers, the constant disruption of tipped passes and near-steals kept the Neah-Kah-Nie offense off balance. The third quarter was a repeat of first quarter, although the Loggers did a better job of converting their layups. Knappa still struggled to find their 3-point game and set offense, but that did not stop them from posting 22 points in the quarter. At the end of the third, Knappa led 56-24. Like the first half, Neah-Kah-Nie settled in during the fourth quarter. They stemmed the bleeding from their turnovers and managed to score with Knappa. Unfortunately, the game was too far out of reach for the Pirates. The final score was 66-32 in favor of Knappa.
These two teams will play each other again on Thursday at Knappa. Neah-Kah-Nie is expected to be at full strength for the game, so the results of last night will not necessarily carry over into the rematch. Knappa plays again tonight against Gaston to defend their first-place position in league. Neah-Kah-Nie is slated to play tonight against a Columbia Christian team coming off of a big win against Mannahouse last Saturday.
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